We tend to stress when we wake up in the middle of the night– watching the clock and panicking about being tired the next day. But in many instances, waking up in the middle of the night is actually a normal physiologic occurrence called middle sleep. This is a break between two segments of sleep, our “first” and “second sleep.” It’s a time to pee, read, journal, reflect on our dreams, and have sex. The only critical thing is that we do all this by candlelight, in the dark, or wearing blue blocking glasses. Middle sleep is normal, but exposing the brain to artificial blue spectrum light in the middle of the night can confuse our circadian rhythm. So next time you wake up in the middle of the night, consider if this may be the break between two ~4-hour blocks of sleep. Rather than stressing, simply protect yourself from blue light (i.e., don’t look at the phone), and enjoy the hour without pressure to fall back asleep. Most of the time, you’ll get naturally sleepy after about 45-60 minutes.⁠

Originally published in mindbodygreen

On the proverbial Savannah of evolution, the temperature drops at night. That temp drop is one of several contextual factors that cue us to feel sleepy.

The optimal temperature for sleep is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. I find that anything in the mid to high 60’s works well.

In the spring and fall, my favorite way to keep the bedroom cool at night is to open a window. Added benefits: fresh air, lower electric bill, and better for the planet.

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I used to be an epic sleep procrastinator. I knew I should be going to bed around 10pm, but I often decided to finish “one last thing” for work before bed, and I would inevitably stay up just late enough to ensure I would never get enough sleep.

I finally fixed my sleep procrastination with this one simple realization:

That last 30 min of productivity late at night translates to feeling tired the entire next day. Thirty minutes of productivity in exchange for an entire day of squandered productivity. It’s simply not worth it.

With that thought, I have finally learned to shut it down, crawl into my cozy bed early, and feel energized, focused and inspired the entire next day. Try this tonight.